This conference has been a true rollercoaster this season, as opposed to the last decade where it has been mostly dominated by Kentucky Basketball. This season has been led by the Auburn Tigers, followed by the Alabama Crimson Tide, and the Florida Gators.
The Tigers won the SEC championship last year, but was followed by a disappointing loss to Yale. The Auburn Tigers have come back this year stronger than ever by returning All-American Johni Broome, also bringing in new talents such as Tahaad Pettiford Five Star McDonald's All-American and new transfer Miles Kelly, who has been a sniper from three following his solid performances for the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets.
The Alabama Crimson Tide had an impressive season last year, which included a Final Four appearance led by Head Coach Nate Oats. Coming into this season, they had returned most of their core talent for the impressive tournament, which includes Mark Sears – one of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) leading scorers for the last couple years, Grant Nelson – an impressive transfer from North Dakota State University who had a great tournament run last year, and Aden Holloway– a transfer from the Auburn Tigers who had made major moves into the Crimson Tide’s starting lineup. The Tide is looking to make a major splash into this year's tournament, and after moving to the Final Four, Nate Oats is looking to finally win a chip.
The third place team, the Florida Gators, is more of a newcomer this year when it comes to this sort of dominance throughout the season. They also have the most impressive resume when it comes to wins against top 15 team Tennessee Volunteers, and a dominant win against the number one team in the nation Auburn Tigers.
The Gators are led by Player of the Year candidate Walter Clayton – who leads the way in scoring with 17 points per game with key performances against Kentucky and USF. The Gators had some dangerous controversy towards the beginning of the season, with some touchy subjects when it came to legal issues, but the team has seemed to move past this with great performances and coming together as a team to try and win it all. The SEC has been a whirlwind of conference shake ups with many more dark horses that can come through and shine in the SEC tournament come march. Some of the dark horses include Kentucky, Mississippi State, University of Georgia and many more.